Muesli Y2K Style

Czech it Out! Prague Weekend

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Notebook:

3-19-2009

15:45 Nepliget Bus Station, Budapest. Backpack is packed with snacks and supplies. Remember, 20 CZK = 1USD. I'm traveling with 5 Finnish. The rest of the group is heading out tomorrow.

18:00 Electric Windmills in Northern Hungary. Snow and Sunsets in Slovakia.

11:45 Bus arrives in Prague. It's cold! We orient ourselves towards the hostel.

3-20-2009

0:20 Arrival at Sir Toby's Hostel. Check in and drop off our bags. Head downstairs to the Hostel's pub to relax, have a Pilsner (Czech Beer!) and talk with other travelers. We decided to venture our for late night food. We find "Pizza Go Home" We should have followed the name and gone home, because it was pretty bad. Oh well, you learn.

9:30 I wake up early, and have some coffee while everyone else wakes. Eventually everyone mingles downstairs for Sir Toby's delicious breakfast buffet: yogurts, granola, dried fruits, fresh fruits, tomatoes, cucumber, toasts with butter, nutella, jam, honey, sweetened condensed milk, balkan cheese, swiss cheese, hard boiled eggs, pans and eggs for self-made omelets, juice, iced coffee, tea, and...I guess that's about everything! Head out into town with the Finnish.

12:30 Old Town Square, Prague. The light snow is fitting for the last day of spring. It's beautiful here.

13:00 Bong, Bong, Bong! goes the intricate astronomical clock tower. After the spectacle, we go to a Mucha and Salvador Dali Exhibit.

15:00 Crossing the Charles Bridge. More Snow! Winter Wonderland! We head into a restaurant for warmth and tummy filling...I order Onion Soup!

15:40 There's the sun, breaking through the clouds. Perfect for a stroll down to Lennon Wall, a little alley tucked away off the main street that had been a protest spot against communism...the name comes from numerous Beatles lyrics scrawled on the wall and Lennon portraits done in spray paint. Photos!

16:30 Prague Castle, breath-taking. Exploration and Wandering mode is in effect. We meet up with the Italian dudes and...

17:50 Beer! More Pilsner Urquell in a little pub.

20:30 Quick Tesco stop, restaurant searching, regrouping, return to the hostel. The rest of the group has begun to arrive.

22:00 Dinner with the Italians at a restaurant next door to Sir Toby's. Afterwards we play card games (with Mucha cards, obviously) and then head downtown to see the clubs of Prague.

3-21-2009

10:00 Hooray for Spring! It's sunny outside today. Delicious breakfast at Sir Toby's, and heading back into town, this time with 2 Finnish, 3 French, 1 Canadian, 1 Singaporean.

12:00 Clock Tower in Old Town Square again! Street performers are playing Jazz. It feels like spring. Extreme Exploration Mode!

16:00 Rendezvous with others of the group around the Castle. I'm just taking in the surroundings and the awesomeness of it all. 

17:45 We walk up the hill and climb to the top of Petrin Tower (Prauge's "Eiffel Tower") for amazing views of the city from above. iPod - "Buffalo Soldier" Prague Sunsets are amazing from above. We made it inside the Tower just as they were closing...we seem to be really good at timing this entire weekend.

19:25 When in Prague, try Absinthe! and then more Czech Beers. We walk by the dancing building and continue to stroll along the Vltava River. Small paper lanterns are floating up into the night sky, taking flight from a small islands. Swans float in the river. PICTURESQUE.

22:00 Return to the hostel and relax with the group.

3-22-2009

5:00 Awake somehow. Pack up and are out the door by 5:45.

6:25 Board the return bus to Budapest...

Transport is Arranged - Prague

Looking forward to an exciting weekend in Prague. Backpack is stuffed with essentials: clothes, camera, iPod, peanuts, grapefruit, book, map. See you in a few days-

Things I'm Currently Psyced On

-After a little scuds and scrubs, our kitchen is finally clean again
-Bulk trash pick is this weekend and piles of trash are appearing on the sidewalks, bizzare
-This crazy nice McDonalds at Nyugati Train Station
-Tomorrow afternoon I'm getting on a bus to go see Prague for the Weekend!
-These pics I took for you

Batman!!!

EDIT: Decided to see Watchmen instead because it's so AWESOME. Dark Knight later this week.

Since I was slow and did not watch The Dark Knight when it was in theaters in the US, I thought I would be doomed to only ever be able to watch it on smaller scale TV or Laptop. But this is Budapest. I found a theater that is still showing it on THE BIG SCREEN, so that is my big plan for tonight. I'm Excited!

Important Facts About March 15th

-Ides of March
-1848 Hungarian Revolution (sort of a Hungarian Independence Day)
-I've been here for two months
-It was raining outside today
-It's Sumit's Birthday. Happy Birthday Sumit!

King of the Hill

Ahh, beautiful weather! Sunshine! The great outdoors! While visiting Robert in freezing German January, he wisely pointed out everyday the weather gets a little better; this week it is really starting to show. Note that I'm just wearing a t-shirt...yep, no jacket today! Taking full advantage of oncoming spring, I went hiking in the Buda hills with Jake from Wisconsin. Riding to the end of tram 61 puts you on the extent of the city and the beginning of nature. We hiked up to an observation tower, atop which we were able to see Budapest in its entirety below. Awesomeness.

End of the line, kid.
upside down flowers
Off the beaten path.
The view from above.
Jake and I with the countryside behind us.
Just enjoying the sunshine.